Mines shut down for now

Last year, the lives of hundreds of miners and their families were disrupted for months after Blackjewel LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and abruptly closed its facilities.

Now, four of the former Blackjewel operations in Virginia are temporarily shutting down again.

Virginia Business magazine reported Monday that INMET Mining LLC plans to shut down its Osaka, Pigeon Creek, North Fork and D-31 mines, which employ nearly 100 people, because of concerns about close working conditions during the COVID-19 virus pandemic.

INMET, a subsidiary of Tennessee-based Kopper Glo Mining LLC, took over the operations in late 2019 after Blackjewel LLC filed for bankruptcy and sold off its assets. As part of the sale, INMET/Kopper Glo offered to pay displaced Blackjewel miners a total of $1 million over two years to compensate for lost wages and benefits.

Unrelated to INMET, the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy has confirmed that the Buchanan Mine No. 1 also had closed because of virus concerns. The mine, owned by Consol Energy, employs more than 500 people.